A.1 How Response Files Work?

You can automate the installation and configuration of Oracle software, either fully or partially, by specifying a response file when you start Oracle Universal Installer. Oracle Universal Installer uses the values contained in the response file to provide answers to some or all of Oracle Universal Installer prompt. It includes information about the following topics:

Typically, Oracle Universal Installer runs in interactive mode, which means that it prompts you to provide information in graphical user interface (GUI) screens. When you use response files to provide this information, you run Oracle Universal Installer at a command prompt using either of the following modes:

Silent mode

If you include responses for all of the prompts in the response file and specify the -silent option when starting Oracle Universal Installer, then Oracle Universal Installer runs in silent mode. During a silent-mode installation, Oracle Universal Installer does not display any screens. Instead, it displays progress information in the terminal that you used to start it.

Noninteractive (or suppressed) mode

If you include responses for some or all of the prompts in the response file and omit the -silent option, then Oracle Universal Installer runs in suppressed mode. During a suppressed-mode installation, Oracle Universal Installer displays only the screens for which you did not specify all required information. You can also use variables in the response file or command-line options to suppress other installer screens, such as the Welcome screen or Summary screen, that do not prompt for information.

You define the settings for a silent or noninteractive installation by entering values for the variables listed in the response file. For instance, to specify the Oracle home name, you would supply the appropriate value for the ORACLE_HOME_NAME variable, as in the following example:

ORACLE_HOME_NAME="OraDBHome1"

Another way of specifying the response file's variable settings is to pass them as command line arguments when you run Oracle Universal Installer. For example:

-silent "ORACLE_HOME_NAME=OraDBHome1" ...

In this command, directory_path is the path of the database directory on the DVD or the path of the Disk1 directory on the hard drive.

This method is particularly useful if you do not want to embed sensitive information, such as passwords, in the response file. For example:

A.1.1 Reasons for Using Silent Mode or Noninteractive Mode

The following table describes several reasons why you might want to run Oracle Universal Installer in silent mode or suppressed mode.

Mode

Uses

Silent

Use silent mode if you want to:

Complete an unattended installation, which you might schedule using operating system utilities such as at

Complete several similar installations on multiple systems without user interaction

Install the software on a system that does not have X Window System software installed on it

Oracle Universal Installer displays progress information in the terminal that you used to start it, but it does not display any of Oracle Universal Installer screens.

Suppressed (noninteractive)

Use suppressed mode if you want to complete similar Oracle software installations on more than one system, providing default answers to some, but not all of Oracle Universal Installer prompts.

If you do not specify information required for a particular Installer screen in the response file, then Oracle Universal Installer displays that screen. It suppresses screens for which you have provided all of the required information.

A.1.2 Creating a Database Using Automatic Storage Management as the Storage Option for Database Files

Before you create a database that uses Automatic Storage Management, you must run the root.sh script. For this reason, you cannot create a database using Automatic Storage Management as the storage option for database files during a silent-mode installation. Instead, you can complete a software-only installation using silent-mode, and then run the Oracle Net Configuration Assistant and Database Configuration Assistant configuration assistants in silent mode after you have completed the software-only installation and you have run the root.sh script.

Note:

This limitation applies only to databases that use Automatic Storage Management as the storage option for database files. You can create a database that uses the file system option during a silent-mode installation.

A.1.3 General Procedure for Using Response Files

The following are the general steps to install and configure Oracle products using Oracle Universal Installer in silent or suppressed mode:

Note:

You must complete all required preinstallation tasks on a system before running Oracle Universal Installer in silent or suppressed mode.

Create the oraInst.loc file.

Prepare a response file.

Run Oracle Universal Installer in silent or suppressed mode.

If you completed a software-only installation, then run Net Configuration Assistant and Database Configuration Assistant in silent or noninteractive mode if required.

These steps are described in the following sections.

A.2 Creating the oraInst.loc File

If you plan to install Oracle products using Oracle Universal Installer in silent or suppressed mode, then you must manually create the oraInst.loc file if it does not already exist. This file specifies the location of the Oracle Inventory directory where Oracle Universal Installer creates the inventory of Oracle products installed on the system.

Note:

If Oracle software has been installed previously on the system, the oraInst.loc file might already exist. If the file does exist, you do not need to create a file.

To create the oraInst.loc file, follow these steps:

Switch user to root:

$ su - root

Create the /etc/ directory if it does not exist:

# mkdir -p /var/opt/oracle
# mkdir /etc/

Change directory as follows:

# cd /etc/

Use a text editor to create the oraInst.loc file, containing the following lines:

inventory_loc=$ORACLE_BASE/oraInventory
inst_group=oinstall

In this example, $ORACLE_BASE is the path of the Oracle base directory, for example, /01/app/oracle.

Enter the following commands to set the appropriate owner, group, and permissions on the oraInst.loc file:

# chown oracle:oinstall oraInst.loc
# chmod 664 oraInst.loc

A.3 Preparing a Response File

This section describes the following methods to prepare a response file for use during silent-mode or suppressed-mode installations:

Copy the response file from the response file directory to a directory on your system:

$ cp /directory_path/response/response_file.rsp local_directory

In this example, directory_path is the path to the database directory on the installation media. If you have copied the software to a hard drive, then you can edit the file in the response directory if you prefer.

Open the response file in a text editor:

$ vi /local_dir/response_file.rsp

In addition to editing settings specific to the Oracle Database installation, check that the FROM_LOCATION path is correct and points to the products.xml file in the stage directory in the installation media. You may want to set this variable to point to an absolute path, for example:

FROM_LOCATION="/directory_path/stage/products.xml"

Remember that you can specify sensitive information, such as passwords, at the command line rather than within the response file. "How Response Files Work?" explains this method.

Oracle Universal Installer or configuration assistant fails if you do not correctly configure the response file. Refer to "Silent-Mode Response File Error Handling" section for more information about troubleshooting a failed silent-mode installation.

Change the permissions on the file to 700:

$ chmod 700 /local_dir/response_file.rsp

Note:

A fully specified response file for an Oracle Database installation contains the passwords for database administrative accounts and for a user who is a member of the OSDBA group (required for automated backups). Ensure that only the Oracle software owner user can view or modify response files or consider deleting them after the installation succeeds.

A.3.2 Recording a Response File

You can use Oracle Universal Installer in interactive mode to record a response file, which you can edit and then use to complete silent-mode or suppressed-mode installations. This method is useful for custom or software-only installations.

When you record the response file, you can either complete the installation, or you can exit from Oracle Universal Installer on the Summary page, before it starts to copy the software to the system.

If you use record mode during a noninteractive mode installation, then Oracle Universal Installer records the variable values that were specified in the original source response file into the new response file.

Note:

You cannot use record mode to create a response file during an installation that uses the Basic installation method.

When you run Oracle Universal Installer to record a response file, it checks the system to verify that it meets the requirements to install the software. For this reason, Oracle recommends that you complete all of the required preinstallation tasks and record the response file while completing an installation.

If you have not installed Oracle software on this system previously, create the oraInst.loc file, as described in the previous section.

Ensure that the Oracle software owner user (typically oracle) has permissions to create or write to the Oracle home path that you will specify when you run Oracle Universal Installer.

To record a response file, enter a command similar to the following to start Oracle Universal Installer:

Note:

Do not specify a relative path to the response file. If you specify a relative path, then Oracle Universal Installer fails.

directory_path is the path of the database directory on the DVD or the path of the Disk1 directory on the hard drive

The -record parameter specifies that you want to record the responses that you enter in a response file

response_filename is the full path and file name of the response file that you want to record

On each Oracle Universal Installer screen, specify the required information.

When Oracle Universal Installer displays the Summary screen, perform one of the following actions:

Click Install to create the response file, then continue with the installation.

Click Cancel and then Yes to create the response file but exit from Oracle Universal Installer without installing the software.

The response file is saved in the location that you specified using the -destinationFile option.

If you do not complete the installation, then delete the Oracle home directory that Oracle Universal Installer created using the path you specified on the Specify File Locations screen.

Before using the recorded response file on another system, edit the file and make any required changes.

Use the instructions in the file as a guide when editing it.

A.4 Running Oracle Universal Installer Using a Response File

Now, you are ready to run Oracle Universal Installer at the command line, specifying the response file you created, to perform the installation. The Oracle Universal Installer executable, runInstaller, provides several options. For help information on the full set of these options, run the runInstaller command with the -help option, for example:

Do not specify a relative path to the response file. If you specify a relative path, then Oracle Universal Installer fails.

In this example:

directory_path is the path of the database directory on the DVD or the path of the Disk1 directory on the hard drive.

-silent indicates that you want to run Oracle Universal Installer in silent mode.

-noconfig suppresses running the configuration assistants during installation, and a software-only installation is performed instead.

responsefilename is the full path and file name of the installation response file that you configured.

Note:

For more information about other options for the runInstaller command, enter the following command:

$ /directory_path/runInstaller -help

When the installation completes, log in as the root user and run the root.sh script:

$ sudo sh
password:
# /oracle_home_path/root.sh

A.5 Running Net Configuration Assistant Using a Response File

You can run Net Configuration Assistant in silent mode to configure and start an Oracle Net listener on the system, configure naming methods, and configure Oracle Net service names. To run Net Configuration Assistant in silent mode, you must copy and edit a response file template. Oracle provides a response file template named netca.resp in the response directory in the database/response directory on the DVD.

Note:

If you copied the software to a hard disk, then the response file template is located in the database/response directory.

To run Net Configuration Assistant using a response file:

Copy the netca.rsp response file template from the response file directory to a directory on your system:

$ cp /directory_path/response/netca.rsp local_directory

In this example, directory_path is the path of the database directory on the DVD. If you have copied the software to a hard drive, you can edit the file in the response directory if you prefer.

Open the response file in a text editor:

$ vi /local_dir/netca.rsp

Follow the instructions in the file to edit it.

Note:

Net Configuration Assistant fails if you do not correctly configure the response file.

Log in as the Oracle software owner user, and set the ORACLE_HOME environment variable to specify the correct Oracle home directory.

Enter a command similar to the following to run Net Configuration Assistant in silent mode:

$ $ORACLE_HOME/bin/netca /silent /responsefile /local_dir/netca.rsp

In this command:

The /silent option indicates that you want to run Net Configuration Assistant in silent mode.

local_dir is the full path of the directory where you copied the netca.rsp response file template.

A.6 Running Database Configuration Assistant Using a Response File

You can run Database Configuration Assistant in noninteractive or silent mode to configure and start an Oracle Database on the system. To run Database Configuration Assistant in noninteractive or silent mode, you must copy and edit a response file template. Oracle provides a response file template named dbca.rsp in the database/response directory on the DVD.

Note:

If you copied the software to a hard disk, then the response file template is located in the Disk1/response directory.

A.6.1 Using Database Configuration Assistant in Noninteractive Mode

Use -progressOnly flag to set the mode to noninteractive. In the noninteractive mode, Database Configuration Assistant uses values that you specify, in the response file or as command line options, to create a database. As it configures and starts the database, it displays a window that contains status messages and a progress bar. The window that it displays is the same window that is displayed when you choose to create a preconfigured database during an Enterprise Edition or Standard Edition installation.

To run Database Configuration Assistant in noninteractive mode, you must use a graphical display and set the DISPLAY environment variable.

A.6.2 Using Database Configuration Assistant in Silent Mode

Use -silent flag to set the mode to silent. In the silent mode, Database Configuration Assistant uses values that you specify, in the response file or as command line options, to create a database.

To run Database Configuration Assistant in noninteractive or silent mode:

Note:

As an alternative to editing the response file template, you can also create a database by specifying all required information as command line options when you run Database Configuration Assistant. For information about the list of options supported, enter the following command:

$ $ORACLE_HOME/bin/dbca -help

Copy the dbca.rsp response file template from the response file directory to a directory on your system:

$ cp /directory_path/response/dbca.rsp local_directory

In this example, directory_path is the path of the database directory on the DVD. If you have copied the software to a hard drive, you can edit the file in the response directory if you prefer.

Open the response file in a text editor:

$ vi /local_dir/dbca.rsp

Edit the file, following the instructions in the file.

Note:

Database Configuration Assistant fails if you do not correctly configure the response file.

Log in as the Oracle software owner user, and set the ORACLE_HOME environment variable to specify the correct Oracle home directory.

If you intend running Database Configuration Assistant in noninteractive mode, set the DISPLAY environment variable.

Enter a command similar to the following to run Database Configuration Assistant in noninteractive or silent mode with a response file: